Smart security practices in the VPS.NET Cloud.
We love to talk about all the features of the cloud: redundancy, scalability, affordability; if there’s a word that ends in -ility, it’s probably been used to describe how the cloud is better for you. One word you rarely hear discussed is security. We know that security is important, and that’s why we have in place a number of security mechanisms to keep your cloud hosting account and cloud vps servers safe.
At the most basic level, we perform a thorough security audit of the datacenters we’ve chosen to use for our cloud locations. Each datacenter we use must have proper security protocols in place, including 24/7 monitoring, restricted access, locking cabinets, and thorough logging of all access requests by tenants of the datacenter.
Our employees are also required to practice good security policies. Each of our offices have restricted key card only access, with 24/7 door monitoring, to ensure only authorized personnel are able to enter the building. Employees are forced to change their passwords every 30 days, and required to use a VPN during all business hours, which not only encrypts all data transferred but also limits access to non-work related sites which may pose as a security risk.
We also require our customers to use two factor authentication when signing in for their VPS.NET account. We of course encourage strict passwords, using numbers, characters and symbols. By using a strong password, it becomes significantly more difficult for malicious users to guess or crack a password by using a brute force utility. Once logged in, we restrict each VPS.NET account to approved IP Addresses only. If a login is received from an unapproved IP Address, the user will have to answer multiple questions that they’ve setup. If you haven’t setup these security questions or they need changed, it can be done at any time at security setup page. For the extremely security conscious, we’ve also setup a PIN Security tool. Through the PIN Security tool, you’re able to enter a mobile phone number, that can be called or communicated with through SMS Messaging. Each time you login, a PIN number will be sent to your mobile phone number, which you’ll be forced to enter before you’ll be able to view your account.
We also recommend our clients practice smart security. Through the use of a VPN, such as www.vpnhq.com (a fellow UK2Group brand), you can greatly enhance your security. Not only does it encrypt all your data transferred, but also allows you to easily limit your SSH client to a single IP address allowed to login to your server. Additionally, using strong passwords, which are frequently changed is a great practice to maintain security. Being diligent when browsing the internet is a good practice; when entering any secure information, always check the URL to ensure it’s a secure, encrypted connection.